Wakf Board awaits Centre’s nod

The government has informed the Centre that according to the AP Reorganisation Act, it had constituted a separate Wakf Board and also Wakf Tribunal to deal with affairs of Wakf properties worth several crores in the newly formed state.

According to sources close to the minority welfare department of the state, the government has already sent requisitions to the Union of India seeking a notification as the Wakf Board Act mandates that the Centre has to issue notification for division of the existing AP State Wakf Board and also constitution of the new Wakf Board.

The officials of the welfare department said the state government on December 23, 2014, constituted the Wakf Tribunal after it was noticed that the existing Andhra Pradesh state Wakf Tribunal, which was constituted in the erstwhile state of AP, is neither listed in Schedule IX nor in Schedule X of the AP Reorganisation Act. Hence, its jurisdiction shall be limited to the residuary state.

Prior to the constitution of the Tribunal, the government has set up a separate Wakf Board by appointing a special officer to the Board, the officials added. The officials said, “Wakf properties worth thousands of crores are located in the newly constituted state and a majority of the properties are under litigation.”

In the absence of the notification from the Centre both the institutions cannot function independently, said M.J. Akbar, special officer to the Wakf Board adding, “It was brought to the notice of the Centre. The department urged the Centre to issue the notification as early as possible in accordance with the Wakf Act 1955.”